Rosemary oil scientifically documented as a natural medicine treatment for stress

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil (ROEO) has been identified as a potential alternative treatment for stress. A study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine looked into ROEO’s potential as a treatment for mood disorders resulting from chronic stress.

• The researchers had six-week-old ICR mice inhale ROEO and subjected them to tail suspension test (TST).
• They also examined ROEO-treated PC12 cells to determine the neuronal differentiation effect of ROEO in vitro.
• The authors measured intracellular acetylcholine, choline, and Gap43 gene expression levels.
• They noted a decrease in the mice’s immobility time during the TST, accompanied by an increase in dopamine levels in the animals’ brain.
• The researchers found that the modulation of intracellular acetylcholine, choline, and Gap43 gene expression levels resulted in a PC12 differentiation-induction effect.
• They believed ROEO activated the stress response system and caused the production of dopamine.
• The effect was attributed to α-pinene, an anxiolytic compound found in rosemary.

The researchers concluded that their findings were sufficient proof of ROEO’s anti-stress properties, making it potentially effective against mood disorders. They added that a clinical trial would be needed to determine ROEO’s effect on clinical depression.

Read the full text of this study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Villareal MO, Ikeya A, Sasaki K, Arfa AB, Neffati M, Isoda H. ANTI-STRESS AND NEURONAL CELL DIFFERENTIATION INDUCTION EFFECTS OF ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS L. ESSENTIAL OIL. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 11 September 2017;17(1). (549). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-2060-1